1995 calls back; a vertical record player, a pocket calendar + 2 more 🌞 #76

Welcome to this week’s installment of what’s hot in brands and products.

I’m back from South Africa and wrote up the trip—route, little stories, places, markets, and a few brands we bumped into. We traveled just the two of us (no kids), pre-booked only the flights and two of the nights, and left the rest open. Goal: More options, fewer plans, better stories.

We saw whales from our bed (on shore, no cruise), hiked near the coast and ate at some lovely places. Best of all: we met the kindest people. A few of them even signed up here last week—if you’re reading this Barend, Winston & Warren (and everyone else who joined lately), welcome 👋

This is part 1 of 2.

Next week I’ll share notes & photos from the most impressive farm-stay I’ve experienced—more farm than hotel, more feeling than features. I’d love to spend more time around hospitality (professionally 😉), so that’ll be a separate piece.

If you’re new around here: Every week, I share 5 of the coolest products from Europe I’ve discovered in the past 7 days.

I scout, you explore. Let’s get to it!

With love 🌞
Jakob

P.S.: Missed the last edition? Most-clicked piece: The Secret Egg time capsule from the Mejnoun collection (edited by hérétique) lets you set an opening date when it hatches.

The throwback handset lets you take calls like it’s 1995. It was designed by studio Native Union—born in Hong Kong with a foothold in Paris. It’s goofy-cool and yes, it adds one more object to your desk… but I already signed up for the waiting list.

Dial into nostalgia

A fully expandable, powder-coated steel frame that adjusts to any mattress from 90–180 cm. Start solo, stay minimal, then widen it when life (or love) expands—same frame, no waste. The low version comes in five colors plus stainless, and you can order it with or without slats. Color FOMO is real.

Pick one and go to bed

Wheel 2 had been featured here a while ago. Now Wheel 3 is ready to ship. A Dutch-built, wall-mountable (but I prefer the free-standing version) record player with an optical stylus (no magnets, no coils) that makes your vinyl look like it’s levitating. It’s €2,900 and quoted at ~10 weeks lead time.

Make your records float

Designed by Carta Pura—the beloved Munich Papierladen founded by Jonathan Osthoff in 1985 and still going strong—this pocket calendar wraps Japanese katazome paper around a clean, minimal inner. Made in Germany. If you love stationery lore as much as dates, read about them on cartapura.de, then…

…pencil in your 2026 wins (via RSVP Online Shop)

A tall, “leaning” mirror that’s actually fixed to the wall—calm posture, bold step. Produced in Vienna by The Form Follows (Anna & Michael Trubrig). Smart for narrow hallways where you want sculpture without floor hogging.

Practice your smirk

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